|
When “Main Basse sur la Joconde” (which translates as
getting one’s hands on La Joconde, the famous portrait
popularly known as The Mona Lisa), a leading attraction
at the Parc Astérix, needed to upgrade its show control
and audio systems without making any artistic changes to
the production, it selected a Medialon Manager V4 PRO to
replace a Dataton Trax3 system. Parc Astérix, created
in 1989 and located in the Paris suburb of Plailly, is
the first French theme park and a leading venue for
family entertainment.
“Main Basse sur la Joconde” is a live-action show set in
the 1930s. It takes place on the Le Havre waterfront
where several bands of crooks are intent on stealing The
Mona Lisa which is being shipped to America. An
incredible chase -- filled with humor, suspense,
explosions and special effects -- ensues!
The show, which is staged two to four times a day in a
theater seating 2,000, features eight actors and
actresses who are also stunt performers. Eight
technicians handle the multimedia aspects which include
the appearance of a real ship, train, car and motorbike;
automated machinery; a large complement of stage
lighting and 21 points of surround sound.
“Only Medialon products and support were able to manage
this show,” says Franck Combe, sound engineer and
project manager. “Medialon has been used for the whole
show control system controlling sound, lighting,
machinery and fireworks synchronization.”
The complement of Medialon equipment dedicated to “Main
Basse sur la Joconde” includes a Manager V4 PRO system
and a Show Control Machine. In addition, a time code
reader/generator card, DMX-512 Soundlight card,
Midisport multiport MIDI interface, OPTO 22 relays, and
Moxa products are also deployed.
Medialon Manager V4 PRO controls a host of gear,
including two multitrack audio players (MIDI MMC), a
Mediamatrix 16x24 mixing network, 96-channels of DMX
lighting, a Siemens industrial automaton, and an audio
multi effects player. |
